Spring is here, but our enthusiasm to get out into the early sunshine, to bask in the yellow flora and the lime-green leaves and shoots peeping, popping and unfurling from the hedgerows, can have unfortunate consequences for those of us who are ill-prepared for this sudden increase in physical activity. Aching, tired and even pulled muscles will inevitably temper our initial excitement. If we heed the wisdom of nature around us— the Fiddlehead Ferns (Polypodiopsida spp.) gracefully unfurling, the oversized Horse-Chestnut buds (Aesculus hippocastanum) slowly revealing their palmate leaves —we can see that activity is should be gradually built up, with lots of stretching and resting in between exercise to allow our sleepy muscles time to catch up with the active mind
Before we say goodbye to the snowdrops for another year, take time to get down to their level with your nature journal or phone camera and capture some of the differences
A few things to look out for on your local walks
- Wild garlic
- Swelling buds
- Young shoots of perennials
- Flowering Currants – essential pollinators for sleepy insects
As ever, our herbal friends may help us transition from the restful winter to the more active state. The young leafy greens are filled to bursting with their highest concentrations of goodness, and can provide a much needed tonic at this time of year.
Nettle (Urtica dioica) is a firm favourite and we will soon be harvesting the first ‘tops’. Fresh nettle shoots can provide continuous harvest if the top 10-15cm of tender new growth is trimmed regularly with scissors. It has high concentrates of calcium, potassium, magnesium, and iron because long tap roots (the very ones that gardeners silently curse), absorb more minerals from deep in the ground than their shallow-rooted neighbours. No small wonder that the ubiquitous nettle has been used for centuries as the go-to herb to help with cramping muscles!
